About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Republic County, Kansas, have a job
In Republic County, 14.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Republic County's score
In Republic County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 45.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 17.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Republic County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Republic County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 45.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,551 · 202465th percentile
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- 32.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.8% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people108.1 · 202540th percentile
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- 22.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.2% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 18.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent7.8% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 17.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.6% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Republic County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Republic County, 26.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Republic County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Republic County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Republic County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Republic County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.4% in 2010 to 5.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Republic County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 2.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Republic County, Kansas.
How Republic County has changed
Republic County's population had its largest drop, from 5,900 in 1999 to 5,285 in 2004.
Republic County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 4,613, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2019 to 2024, reaching 4,613. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Republic County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Republic County had its largest drop, from 2,248 in 2000 to 1,926 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Republic County fell by about a fifth from 1990 to 2020, reaching 1,785, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 2,321 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Republic County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.3% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.9% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,901 | 2024 $61,551 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Republic County's history
1860
Established February 27, 1860. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,248. The 2020 Census counted 4,674, 26% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
A tornado in September 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in June 2003 did $3.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in May 2004 did $3.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Republic County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Republic County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Republic County, in Kansas and Nebraska, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Republic County ranks 2nd of the six; Cloud County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewell County, KS | 28 | 12.3% | 28.6% |
| Cloud County, KS | 21 | 13.2% | 29.9% |
| Republic County, KS | 13 | 10.7% | 29.6% |
| Thayer County, NE | 8 | 10.8% | 26.1% |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 7 | 10.7% | 25.3% |
| Washington County, KS | 3 | 11.1% | 26.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Republic County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Republic County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 63rd highest of 105 in Kansas (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Riley County, at 18.1%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Republic County ranks 81st of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Republic County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Kansas Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Republic County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Republic County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.